matter of discussion, is with regard time for mistranslating. The reto the learned gentleman's attempt- formers in this country, who had ing to defend the Church of England taken solemn vows to God that they Bible, which is palpably notorious would never marry, took this pasover the whole world for infidelity sage which is thus mistranslated, and mistranslation-ay, on the vital and pointed to it in palliation of points too, done, not by the igno- their crime. Now, my friends, to rance of men unversed in the Greek show you how that would act on language, but by men who delibe- the Bible, "they cannot contain,' rately sat down to pervert and I call your attention to the second vitiate its sacred and inviolable chapter of the first Epistle of Peter, doctrines. The learned gentleman v. 11: "Dearly beloved, I beseech tells us he has read it over and you as strangers and pilgrims, abover again in Greek. stain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." Rev. J. CUMMING.-I said, in Hebrew. Mr. FRENCH.-What! the New Testament in Hebrew? [Laughter.] Rev. J. CUMMING.-No! I said the Old in Hebrew? and the New Testament in Greek. Again, listen to St. Paul: "For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, teaching us, that by denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." Titus would notice innumerable other mistranslations of a still more flagrant and iniquitous cast; but I am diverted from the direct subject of remark, and I am sorry for it, by those observations upon Dupin which my learned antagonist has made. I told him that Dupin was Mr. FRENCH.-Oh, very well; "the New Testament in Greek." | ii. 11, 12. Now he must well know how fre- If my time would permit it, I quently unfaithful it is. I have not time to go into many proofs; but there is one which I shall present to the notice of this assembly, to show you how infamously mistranslated it is. I call my friend's attention to 1 Cor. vii. 9: "But if they cannot contain, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn." a man who, so far from being auNow, my friends, that is not the original. It is a falsehood imposed on you! It is not the sacred word of God. It is the impious word of interpolating man! The original is here: et de OUR EYkpаTELovraι, that is, "if they do not contain, let them marry." What could authorize men to sit down and put the words "if You must remember that this is they cannot?" Had it been "if a Protestant writer. It gives the they cannot, the Greek would worst account of things; but, bad have been ου δύνανται. Do not as it is, it will do for my purpose interpreters like these draw down this evening. upon themselves the imprecation denounced against those who add any thing to, or take anything from, that sacred book? But, my friends, there was good, solid reason at the EL thorized in our Church, had been fulminated against at the time he wrote that abominable history by the heads of the Church; and I doubt whether he was a Catholic at all. I will read to you a quotation on this subject from Chalmer's Dictionary. "The first volume of his 'Bibliothèque,' (says Chalmer,) was printed at Paris, 1686, 8vo; and the others in succession, as far as five volumes, which contained an ac But again, is it not unfair in the learned gentleman, who knew this, to come and bring Dupin against us? I shall merely quote one more extract, with reference to that cele count of the first eight centuries. | church, which all learned Protest The freedom, however, which he ants, vying in zeal for them with had used in criticizing the style, all learned Catholics, cry out unacharacter, and doctrines of some of nimously, Illa manent immota locis, the ecclesiastical writers, roused neque ab ordine cedunt, that is, they the prejudices of the celebrated are propped upon an immovable Bossuet, who exhibited a complaint basis. Go, then, my reverend friend, against Dupin to Harlay, Arch-I exclaim; and when you bring bishop of Paris. The Archbishop, again Catholic witnesses against Ca accordingly, in 1693, published a tholic writings, see that they come decree against the work, yet with not with the brand of heresy on more deliberation than might have their fronts. been expected. His Grace first ordered the work to be read by four doctors of divinity of the faculty of Paris, who perused it separately, and then, combining their remarks, drew up a report which they pre-brated passage: "Woman, what sented to the Archbishop. have I to do with thee?" Now the Dupin was then summoned fact is, that this has been frequently before the Archbishop and the Doc-urged by men who have not retors, and after several meetings, flected deeply on the Bible. There gave in a paper in which he delivered is one way of reading the Testahis opinion on the objections made ment which consists in merely readto his book in such a manner as to ing the words, and another which is satisfy them that, however liberal to dive profoundly into their meanhis expressions, he was himself ing. In the first place, the learned sound; but the work itself, they gentleman knows, because I heard thought, nevertheless, must be con-him at a lecture explain and acdemned, as containing several pro-knowledge, that the word "woman" positions that are false, rash, scan-is not the same in signification in dalous, capable of offending pious Greek as it is in English. ears, tending to weaken the arguments, which are brought from tradition to prove the authority of the canonical books of Holy Scripture, and of several other articles of faith; injurious to general councils, to the Apostolic See, and to the fathers of the church; erroneous, and leading to heresy.' Such, gentlemen, is the extract from Dupin; and such is the Catholic evidence brought forward by my reverend antagonist, namely, the evidence of a man convicted of writing works leading to heresy, and injurious to the holy Apostolic See." Such, I say, is the evidence whereby he would give a concussion to those grand liturgies of the Rev. J. CUMMING.-No! Mr. FRENCH.-Well, at least it was Mr. Parkinson, on the learned gentleman's side. [Laughter.] Mr. P. admitted it. He had the candour to say, that in Greek it was a far softer appellation, and did not sound so harshly in the Greek as it does in English; but that it was a tender, and soft, and endearing appellation. I shall, however, translate it myself. I declare that it is susceptible of both translations. But this is certain [the learned gentleman here alludes to the marriage feast at Cana], there was a perfect intelligence and understanding between the Mother and the Son. The Virgin knew what was going on in the mind of the Saviour; for, without one Now, gentlemen, I shall show word from him, she orders the you that this adoration or veneraservants to get ready the vessels, tion of saints and angels, and holy and not a word intervened, significa- things, is sanctioned in many of the tive of any such desire from the passages of the New Testament. In Saviour. And thus the first great the first place, I quote, "Exalt ye miracle was wrought before his time the Lord and worship at his footfor the working of miracles was stool." Now, I have told you, that come, to show the eminent dignity not without reason is it called the of the blessed woman, who was to footstool of the Lord, for it was he "blessed throughout all genera- placed over the propitiatory ark, as tions;" to show that, in the language if it were the seat of God, which of St. Irenæus, "she was to be re- was held by the hand of the checognised as our advocate without rubim, as we find in the beginning destroying the intercession of the of the psalm. And here, by-the-bye, great Mediator." But, my friends, I will answer another passage were I to listen to the learned gen- brought against us with respect to tleman's flights of eloquence and images and statues, from which we rhetoric for whole days and years, are charged with idolatry by our he never would convince me, or any malignant enemies. And I would man who knows what the laws of here mention that the carvings of reasoning are, that there is greater the cherubim were appointed by propriety in one sinful man demand- God himself. I quote from Psalm ing the prayers of another on earth, xxxii. 7. "We will go into his than of a man asking the prayers of tabernacles, and we will worship at a glorified spirit in heaven. For his footstool-adorabimus scabellum my friend knows that the Bible says pedum ejus." I contend that this is saints are equal to the angels: they a gross mistranslation. It is ". are made perfect-are equal to the will worship his footstool," and not angels. What part of the Bible "at his footstool." Now it is macan my friend bring forward to prove nifest from these places that some his position that strange incon- species of adoration is directed to be sistency, which he repeats over and observed, from the words "to worover again in his didactic style-ship;" and lastly, that this worship namely, that it is lawful to ask the is not of a civil institution, is fully prayers of a neighbour, but not to evident from the words of David give you permission to pray to the himself; "for it is holy," that is, blessed, who are before the throne "the footstool is holy." I said the of grace, and enjoying the rich adjective may be feminine or masbeatitudes of heaven?-declaring culine. Again, I quote 1 Chron. that it is preposterous; that it is chap. xxix. ver. 20: "And David interfering with the one great Inter- said to all the congregation, Now cessor! Well, my answer to that bless the Lord your God; and all is just as dogmatical and didactic as the congregation blessed the Lord his own. I say that it does not God of their fathers, and bowed down interfere at all; that it is a custom their heads and worshipped the Lord that was established in the first and their king." There, you see, is ages of Christianity, and has been the same word applied for the wortransmitted to me from the apostles; shipping God and kings; which at and I will cling to it to the very once overturns my friend's whole end of my life. argument as to its being unlawful "we 334 INVOCATION OF for us to venerate and worship the would be signified, for the Hebrew The learned gentleman may pride himself on his knowledge of Hebrew, but I can tell him that Cardinal Bellarmine was equal to him or any man now living, in Hebrew; and these arguments are drawn from a fountain that will stand against any of the theologians of the present day. But Rev. J. CUMMING (smiling or all this is proved, most irrefragably, laughing).-Do you mean to make by adverting to other places in the Bible. I quote 1 Sam. vi. 19:a distinction between the two? Mr. FRENCH.-If you laugh at" And he smote the men of Beththe argument, it is unseasonable for shemeth, because they had looked me to proceed till you get into a into the ark of the Lord; even he serious mood. I say that the word smote of the people fifty thousand is used indiscriminately, and is and threescore and ten men, and the either significant of worship due to people lamented because the Lord God, or worship due to kings, and had smitten many of the people with therefore to saints. But the wor- a great slaughter." You see that ship of God is a prostration of all for only looking into the ark so the powers of the soul in humble many were killed; no wonder that adoration: the prostration to saints he says they fell down before the is an inferior kind; it is a mere ark, and paid it an inferior kind of Again, veneration of them, as being persons worship and adoration. infinitely honoured and exalted by 2 Sam. vi. 6:-"And when they the Lord Jesus Christ. But the came to Nachon's threshing-floor, ark is not said to be worshipped on Uzzia put forth his hand to the ark account of any civil honour or pre-of God, and took hold of it, for the eminence, but because it is sacred oxen shook it; and the anger of the and holy, since it is the footstool of Lord was kindled against Uzzia, God. In the second place, in Scrip- and God smote him there for his ture, wherever we find any one error; and there he died by the ark worshipped, the construction is uni- of God." Now, certainly it was not formly made with Lamed, as in for merely shaking the ark of God Genesis vii. 23: "And Abraham that this vengeance was inflicted; stood up and bowed himself to the for certainly no injury could be inpeople of the land, even to the flicted on its mighty inmate. Lastly, children of Heth." Now it says, on account of the honour due to the "he bowed himself to the people of ark, no one dared to enter into the the land:" that is, he worshipped holy of holies where it stood, exby prostration of body. There, you cepting the high-priest once a year, see, the word is again used. In as St. Paul tells us in the 9th of Latin it will be Adoravit Abraham Hebrews. Again, it is proved by the populum terræ-" Abraham adored worship exhibited to angels by or worshipped the people of the pious and prudent men, in Gen. land." Thirdly, admitting it to chap. xviii. (now I wish to call your signify temple, still the same thing attention to this chap xviii. ver. 1.) Mr. French.] SAINTS AND ANGELS. -"And the Lord appeared to him | himself with his face towards the in the plains of Mamre, as he sat in ground." There is another prostrathe tent door in the heat of the day; tion, which is the adoration for the and he lift up his eyes and looked, worship of Doulia, and you see that and lo! three men stood by him; it was paid to angels in Scripture. and when he saw them he ran to But I will prove that it went yet "And he said, Behold meet them from the tent-door, and further, and that it was frequently bowed himself toward the ground." paid to men: "bowed now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, Now, that very word himself toward the ground," is in into your servant's house, and tarry other places translated "worship or all night and wash your feet, and ye adored." "And he said, My Lord, shall rise up early and go on your if now I have found favour in thy ways. And they said, Nay; but we sight, pass not away, I pray thee, will abide in the street all night. from thy servant. Let a little water, And Abraham got up early in the I pray you, be fetched, and wash morning to the place where he stood your feet, and rest yourselves under before the Lord; and he looked the tree. And I will fetch a morsel toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and of bread, and comfort ye your toward all the land of the plain, and hearts; after that ye shall pass on; beheld, and lo, the smoke of the when pass for therefore are ye come to your country went up as the smoke of a servant; and they said, So do as furnace. And it came to Now is it not God destroyed the cities of the plain, thou hast said." evident that they were looked upon that God remembered Abraham, and as angels, and not as the Lord God? sent Lot out of the midst of the Is it not evident that in fulling down overthrow, when he overthrew the to adore them he committed no act of cities in which Lot dwelt." Then, idolatry? Is it not most evident chap. xx. ver. 17:-"Lo, Abraham that, had it been an idolatrous act, prayed unto God, and God healed the prophet would have branded Abimelech, and his wife and maid it as such in the pages of the Bible servants, and they bare children." to all posterity? Then, with re- So that you see Abraham's prayer gard to the circumstance of refresh- was heard by God. Now, therefore, ments addressed to these angels, I ask, Upon what principle of phiwould it not have afforded scope to losophy, upon what principle of the ridicule or the wit of a Julian- Christian philosophy, is it mainthe-Apostate, or any Deist in those tainable, that when a man is once in days, quite as plausible as the wit the regions of the blest he is no And God's indulged in by my reverend anta- more to be heard? Again, I quote gonist, in laughing at our tenets from Numb. xxii. 22: where they happen to differ from his anger was kindled before he went, own? So easy a thing is it to and the angel of the Lord stood in laugh at sacred things, but so diffi- the way for an adversary against cult is it to confute the sound him. Now he was riding upon his usages of antiquity transmitted ass, and his two servants were with from age to age down to the present time! Again, Gen. xix. 1: "And there came two angels to Sodom at even, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed 66 him; and the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Balaam smote the ass, to turn him into the |